September 17, 2008
- Court Overturns Conviction of Spammer
The Virginia Supreme Court has overturned a state antispam law and the 2004 conviction of long-time spammer Jeremy Jaynes, saying the law is an overly broad prohibition on anonymous free speech.
The Supreme Court, in a decision released Friday, said the 2003 Virginia spam law didn't distinguish between commercial e-mails and those with political messages, and [...]
September 15, 2008
- Calif. Appeals Court Tosses Medical Marijuana Caps
A California appellate court ruled that state legislators overstepped their bounds in 2003 by limiting the amount of marijuana that patients could possess for medical purposes. The opinion said legislators acted unconstitutionally when they passed a statute that effectively amended Proposition 215 — also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 — to allow [...]
September 14, 2008
- Travis County Judge Tells Woman to Stop Having Kids
For me, this is life imitating law school. I was on the Moot Court Board in law school and I was on the team that created the hypothetical case for the final competition. We crafted a case where an alcoholic mother who had given birth to 2 children with fetal alcohol syndrome was given the [...]
September 13, 2008
- U.K. Jury Decides That Threat of Global Warming Justifies Breaking the Law
Jury nullification is alive and well in the U.K.:
The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared [...]
September 8, 2008
- Senator Vitter wants states to collect DNA from felons
"DNA is a powerful and effective resource for law enforcement agencies," Vitter said. "Given the likelihood that a convicted felon will continue to offend, collecting more DNA samples will assist law enforcement agencies in prosecuting repeat offenders and securing justice for crime victims." Continue . . .
June 20, 2008
- No More Sources For You!
Seeking a scoop, rookie reporter Jennifer Latson from the Houston Chronicle went and tried to interview to a person accused of a serious felony without the person's lawyer's permission.
If the accused had said something incriminatory, it would have been front-page news in the Chronicle the next morning: the reporter would have been able to do [...]
June 18, 2008
- Historian Stole Presidents' Letters
MANHATTAN (CN) - A historian faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing and selling letters written by Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, federal prosecutors said. Continue . . .
June 15, 2008
- Wrongful Conviction Law Introduced in FL
According to new reports, a new wrongful conviction law has just been signed in the state of Florida.According to the new law, which was signed by Governor Charlie Crist, those who have been… Read more . . .
June 12, 2008
- Texas Takes Steps to Restore Justice
According to reports, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals recently took huge steps to restore the integrity of the, currently broken, justice system.State officials that such action will help to decrease cases involving wrongfully convicted and imprisoned residents of Texa… Read more . . .
June 10, 2008
- Former Houston Attorney Continues to Fight Extradition From Canada
Former Houston lawyer Stuart Bryson Collins, now the owner of an organic farming business in Canada, is fighting extradition to Texas. After Collins gave up his Texas law license over a discipline suit and moved to Canada, a grand jury indicted him on two felony charges of misappropriation of fiduciary property from clients. Collins says [...]
June 7, 2008
- Celebrity Crimes (allegedly)
Here is the complaint in which Maria Markova accuses Lindsay Lohan of lifting her blond mink coat from a nightclub and keeping it for 19 days, in New York County Court. Continue . . .
June 5, 2008
- Why The Insurance Industry Loves Red-Light Cameras
The insurance industry has been the leading advocate for red-light cameras since they were first introduced in the United States and it’s worth examining why they push so hard for their installation.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which is wholly funded by the insurance industry, is often quoted by media as an unbiased [...]
June 3, 2008
- Unsuspecting motorists who may have been breaking the law may get a reprieve.
State legislators have passed the bill which would re-write the law that made it illegal to obscure any part of a license plate.
The Texas House last week approved the legislation; the Senate approved it earlier. (S.B. 360)
Under the new law, provided it is signed by the Governor, states license plate holders are not in [...]
June 1, 2008
- Marijuana at the Airport (Ooooops!)
Most of the time the War on Drugs is actually a pretty sad thing, but every once in a while, something amusing comes out of it:An unwitting passenger arriving at Japan's Narita airport has received 142g of cannabis after a customs test went awry, officials say.
A customs officer hid a package of the banned substance [...]
May 29, 2008
- Cop Gets 102 Years for Robbing Dealers
LOS ANGELES (CN) - A former Los Angeles Police officer has been sentenced to 102 years in prison for conspiring to rob drugs and money from drug dealers. William Ferguson is one of 19 people accused of invading the homes and robbing more than 40 suspected dealers. Continue . . .
May 26, 2008
- Persistent Offender Bill OK'd by Connecticut Senate
After a heated debate, the Connecticut state Senate passed a bill to strengthen penalties for repeat violent offenders. Referred to as the persistent offender bill, it was proposed as an alternative to the three-stri… Continue . . .
May 23, 2008
- Inmates Encourage Change in TX
Two men who were previously imprisoned in Texas for crimes that they didn’t commit are now pleading with the senate for reforms.The men were reportedly only two of nine exonerated prisoners who spoke last week at a forum to examine the underlying reasoning for Texas’ wrongful c… Continue . . .
May 20, 2008
- Persistent Offender Bill OK'd by Connecticut Senate
After a heated debate, the Connecticut state Senate passed a bill to strengthen penalties for repeat violent offenders. Referred to as the persistent offender bill, it was proposed as an alternative to the three-stri… Continue . . .
May 15, 2008
- Jury Acquits Bourbon St. Bouncer in Manslaughter Case
A jury voted 10-2 in favor of acquitting a 43-year-old New Orleans bouncer of manslaughter in the 2004 death of an out-of-town college student. The IncidentArthur Iron… Continue . . .
May 13, 2008
- Defense Prepares Psychiatric Defense for 'Preppy Killer'
The defense attorney for Robert E. Chambers Jr., dubbed the 'preppy killer' after murdering Jennifer Levin in 1986, is planning to assert that her client did not “act knowingly” when he allegedly sold cocaine to… Read more . . .
